District 6 in better shape than other districts

Greeley-Evans School District 6 might be in better shape than other districts statewide in dealing with budget cuts in K-12 education, officials said this week.

School officials set aside $2 million to cover operating expenses for this year, but when those funds are depleted, salary freezes among employees are likely.

District 6 administrators spent this week meeting with members of the teacher’s union, principals and staff about how the state’s budget will affect K-12 education. State legislators are looking at a variety of options in reducing its budget by about $850 million.

Officials offered several projections of possible scenarios, ranging from a 2.8 percent increase in funds to a 10 percent reduction.

Officials talked about how each level of cuts could affect the operation of the district.

Although no specific plans have been made to freeze wages, school officials said that will be the first consideration because 80 percent of the budget is directed at salaries.

Kim Wass, president of the teacher’s union, said he couldn’t comment on the possibility of salary freezes.

“Any decision will be based on actual numbers,” Wass said Friday. “As of right now, we’re still in the dark. It’s not an issue that’s well defined.”

Still, Wass acknowledged that because teachers have one-year contracts, they always have the choice to take positions offering higher wages.

Officials will look at several options in the next several months to decide where possible cuts could be made.

But school board members have anticipated the cuts. Last fall they set aside $2 million, which is now being used to continue programming as planned and offset cuts already made by the state.

“We’re in good shape because we didn’t spend that money like we could have,” Superintendent Tony Pariso said.

Already, the district lost $324,662 this school year when money from Amendment 23 – which forces the state to increase education spending every year – wasn’t paid in December. School officials already bought textbooks and paid for teacher training, which were supposed to be paid with Amendment 23 money.

The district also was without an additional $200,000 this year from business incentive agreements, in which companies get tax breaks if they relocate to the area. Districts are supposed to get that money back from the state, but that didn’t happen this year.

Pariso said he is optimistic that any budget cut, which will be announced later this month, will be just short of money allocated in previous years. He is optimistic after speaking with Sen. Dave Owen, R-Greeley, chairman of the Joint Budget Committee, Pariso said.

As of Friday, legislators offered conflicting information. Some said K-12 education will be fully funded including Amendment 23 money, while others said school districts should anticipate major cuts.

On top of the district’s $2 million cushion, the school board has maintained a state-mandated 6 percent reserve fund, which could be used in an emergency. That money won’t be used, however, because it is one-time money and officials would rather look into other options to balance the budget, they said.

District 6 won’t fall into deficit this year, but officials said they worry that next year the district’s $100 million operating budget could be short anywhere from $1 million to $9 million, depending on how much money the state cuts. Programs would get cut then.

And the amount of funding directed at special education, English language and at-risk programs could be less than before.

“We are in for reductions,” school board president Mark Wallace said at a recent meeting. “We are in for things getting worse and worse.”

School officials are monitoring student growth, which affects how much money districts receive from the state. More than 200 new students are expected when the new year starts in the fall, so officials expect an additional $1.2 million, unless of course, the per-pupil funding, which is now more than $5,000, is reduced at the state level.